This paragraph keeps coming back for me: "I can no more disown [Reverend White] than I can my white grandmother — a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."
Compendium of punditry from Political Wire:
Andrew Sullivan: "I have never felt more convinced that this man's candidacy - not this man, his candidacy - and what he can bring us to achieve - is an historic opportunity. This was a testing; and he did not merely pass it by uttering safe bromides. He addressed the intimate, painful love he has for an imperfect and sometimes embittered man. And how that love enables him to see that man's faults and pain as well as his promise. This is what my faith is about. It is what the Gospels are about. This is a candidate who does not merely speak as a Christian. He acts like a Christian."
Charles Murray: "Has any other major American politician ever made a speech on race that comes even close to this one? As far as I'm concerned, it is just plain flat out brilliant -- rhetorically, but also in capturing a lot of nuance about race in America. It is so far above the standard we're used to from our pols."
Ben Smith: "A smart colleague notes that this speech is the polar opposite of this year's other big speech on faith, in which Mitt Romney went to Texas to talk about Mormonism, but made just one reference to his Mormon faith. Obama mentions Wright by name 14 times."
Wow. My eyes literally filled up with tears on the last story. And chills throughout the entire speech, like you Maggie. What an inspiration. This is exactly why I support Barack Obama!
H, I know! Trevor's dad just called it the best political speech of his adult life.
I have a paragraph by paragraph analysis and critique, if anyone wants it. Send me your email addy...
Amazing how two people can hear the same speech completely different. I was sorely dissappointed in both the speech, and in Obama. My hope now, is that he does not win the Democratic nomination, as it will guarantee a McCain win in the fall.
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